Cook's Illustrated
Reviews and Complaints

The exact same thing happened to me. I ordered them on December 6th, 2010. I called December 19th and they said the shipped on December 17th. I never received them so I called in January and they told me to wait 1 more week. They never came so I called again (these people don't answer emails, you have to call) and the girl said they were reordered and they will be here in 3 weeks. It has been beyond 3 weeks so I called this morning and they said they are on back order until April. The supervisor I spoke to said that the DVDs were considered a free gift when ordering the cookbook but that is crap. It was never advertised that way. She said that I should get them by the end of April. I told her I would be calling her May 1st since I am pretty sure they won't show up. She also said people are waiting even from October of last year. Why don't they annouce that on the website? I wouldn't have ordered them then.

The supervisor said that the person i spoke with on the 17th of January should have known they were back ordered until April. She never said that to me that day at all. This supervisor is going to pull that call. This has been a TERRIBLE experience. I am not ordering anything from them again.

Oh, and I asked for them to be overnighted (once they get some in) but apparently that is not an option. Cook's Illustrated, you suck at Customer Service. It is ridiculous to wait this long on an item.

I paid for my order and did not auto subscribe. You have sent me a notice that states it is my 4th notice. This is the first time I have heard rom you!

I ordered a book last year and paid for it. After I paid for it, they continued to bill me for the book. I kept sending it back and telling them that I already paid for it. Then this year I received another book from them. I didn't open it, but sent it back the next day with a note saying "I did not order this. I don't want it. Please stop sending me books. I have received a " third notice" for the book I sent back dunning me for $29.90, however, it was actually the first bill.
I have again sent them a note telling them I sent the book back. I don't know what more to do. If I pay for a book I didn't receive, they will continue to send me more. If I don't pay, they may turn it over to collections and my FICO score will take a beating. I'm very sick and I'm at my wits end. I don't need this stress.

Whoa!, I figured there was something wrong, far greater than I anticipated. 'Send No Money We will bill you later free 2 week trial' and no substantiation of final cost. It surprises me that PBS keeps its affiliation in light of this tactic for billing. It is reminiscent of Columbia House Records. Thank you for the info. I hope that my current email on file with them is not abused. Will find out soon.d

Today I received another invoice noted to be the Third Notice for the 2015 Cooks Illustrated Annual which I did not order. I have just kept books in the past and given them to other relatives who no longer want them. After I opened my mailbox and saw the package I drove to the post office and returned it unopened. I have tried to e-mail the billing manager but cannot get an address for her. I have also sent notices back with notes on them that stated it was returned to sender which so far has done nothing. I can't afford for this to ruin my credit score. I have also tried to cancel my magazine subscription but it has not worked yet. This is a very frustrating company to try to deal with.

I have had problems with ordering one cookbook and then receiving more in the past but somehow I got that whole fiasco stopped. I had a year's subscription to their magazine (that is only six issues for some $28). Well now they have come up with a new angle! They have been sending me invoices for renewal saying that I subscribed "by means of our automated renewal program" and they say they automatically renewed my subscription "more than six months ago". NO...I would NEVER subscribe to auto-renewal for anything! This group is unbelievable! I have cancelled any subscription I have with them now and I will not be renewing anything with them in the future, They cannot be trusted!

I am sickened from having read all these comments. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Cook's Country has sickened me (no, not from the recipes - which are good - but by having experienced their "automatic book sending list" scam about 7-8 years ago). Except for receiving magazines, everything else that happened to all those on here also happened to me. It all started innocently enough by ordering a cookbook to give as a gift. If only I knew what I was in for; the parade of books, invoices and nasty late notices from my refusal to pay, and yes I was also told "since they never take returns I had to pay" to ship back product I never ordered in the first place. I finally got them off my back via a two page letter to the Director of Marketing, figuring he should not only know what evils his co-workers in the Cooks County Book Department are up to, but should also be commended for doing a rip-roaring marketing job. It's a wonder the company has any business at all, given how lowly they treat their customers. The result? I got to keep the last unordered book for free! Woo-eeee!
The book remains on a high shelf in my office, covered in dust and in it's original mailing carton. I never opened it. I'm not superstitious, but to me that book is some bad mojo, sent by bad people. Seriously, I am a food professional and have been in the business for over 30 years and although I do not profess to know everything, I know an awful lot about cooking. I also know how important customer satisfaction is. Have you ever had a great meal in a restaurant but had such terrible service that it took away part or most of the enjoyment of the meal? That is what has happened with Cook's Country. They have a fabulous show. I like how well-researched their recipes are and their explanations of the cooking process. I have picked up several hints and tips that I still use and the recipes I've tried were truly good if not excellent. BUT? Their customer relations stink. From a business standpoint, the publishing division has resorted to thievery so as to turn a profit. Aside from the ILLEGALITY if this, they are developing a customer base that feels violated instead of satisfied; let's face it, no one likes being scammed.
I can't believe the company seems to not have suffered from this, that after years this is still going on, and that except for perhaps a few complaint Internet sites this issue has gotten very little public notice. This shouldn't be an underground movement; it should be in the New York Times. And after the situation is completely rectified, Mr. Kimball should apologize on air.
Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Unfortunately, I too have been a victim of their unscrupulous marketing. I paid for a subscription and then began receiving books that were never ordered. I even received a book (unbeknown to me) at my ex wife's house which I had never ordered or even knew about and then eventually the unpaid bill went to a collection agency. Now my credit rating has been affected because of this apparently routine practice of shipping items items that were not ordered. This is unscrupulous and needs to be stopped immediately. I wish I were a lawyer so that we could file a class-action lawsuit. It's shameful.

I googled a recipe. Found it on the Cooks Illustrated web site. Asked if I'd like to sign up for weekly information, offers, recipes, etc. Well, I like their TV show, so I signed up. Didn't see that there was a field, already checked, for a magazine subscription! I guess you have to uncheck it if you don't want a subscription. If I'd wanted a subscription, I'd have bought a subscription. What an underhanded way to trick people into subscriptions! I found out about this field when I called to cancel a subscription that I hadn't ordered. Received the magazine yesterday, together with an invoice.
The magazine is actually quite good, as is the TV programme, but the underhanded way they go about snaring customers, is reprehensible! I wonder if Christopher Kimball actually knows what the marketing department are doing?

Just to clarify the previous complaint, I ordered the companion book for the 2014 season and paid for that but the one I didn't order was for the 2015 season.

I was recently sent a cookbook that I didn't order. All because I ordered a cookbook companion to the 2014 TV season. I was so angry there was no way I was going to keep it. As part of the invoice there was a label for returns. I assumed it was pre-paid but of course it wasn't. So it cost me $7.70 in postage to return it. I called customer service naively thinking that they would refund my postage. I was told no they wouldn't because I should have called them first and they would have sent me a prepaid label. I said "why would I do that when the label in the box said to use that to return unwanted books?". She had no answer. NEVER, NEVER, EVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY! Christopher Kimball is a scam artist and I have lost all respect for the others on his shows. I will never watch any of his shows again...ever.

Avoid doing business with this company. They sent me a notice last year I would receive their 2009 cookbook unless I returned a post card stating I didn't want it. I forgot to send them the the postcard and received the cookbook in Dec. 2009. I was also to receive 4 CD's . They informed me they weren't ready and I would receive them later. I followed up with them in March 2009 and they said I wouls would receive them in June. Here it is June 2010 and NO cd's. They are a scam avoid them! Additionally I cancelled my on-line subscription in 2008. They renewed it without my permission in 2009 and charged me and refused to give me a refund! The credit card company will not help me in this matter. What a way to do business! avoid them, avoid them!

My cooks Blender stop working after a month. I would like to get a replacement of it. I need it ASAP. I can be reach at Sqadri156@gmail.com.

Model #:XJ-11401B1
ITEM#:22193

on Feb 4 2018 I sent a check #2131 in the amount of $9.95 for a subscription of C00k's Illustrated. I did not order instruct you to automatically renew this subscription. I do not want another magazine. I did not receive 3 past due invoices.